Posted: Thursday, November 26, 2009, 12:13 AM | 20 comments |
 

Should Have Been A Happier Ending
options
 

If this is really the end of Allen Iverson's NBA career, it's not the way it should have ended.

There should have been a press conference.

There should have been a celebration of a career that will almost certainly land the guy in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall Of Fame.

Instead, it ended earlier today with a statement from Iverson, thanking various people, insisting he still has a lot left to offer.

But . . .

He basically walked away from the Memphis Grizzlies, reaching a contract settlement after appearing in just three games, never on the Grizzlies' home floor. Among other things, he had no interest in coming off the bench.

So Iverson and Memphis never got to know each other.

Whether you loved Iverson or thought he was a selfish one-on-one player, he was a magnet for crowds. The people came to see the show, and more often than not he provided it. The 76ers' largest crowd of the season came when the Grizzlies wewre in town, because people had bought tickets in the hopes of getting one more look at the star guard they watched for 10 seasons-plus.

I know Memphis waived him shortly after they reached their settlement agreement, but it's still disappointing that Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace would finally speak with Gary Moore, Iverson's personal manager, many hours after the news was all over the internet.

(Let the record show that Moore did not respond to messages left by the Daily News.)

To his credit, Wallace walked the straight and narrow. He had not spoken with Iverson in several weeks, but he wasn't about to say anything remotely negative.

''All I'll say is, it didn't happen here, and both parties have moved on,'' Wallace said. ''We only got to see him play three games and in two practices in a month because of his hamstring injury. But in those three games, it was clear he still had something left, particularly on the offensive end. He can still put points up on the board.''

And now Iverson is retired.

Unless, of course, some team calls.

 
Posted by Phil Jasner @ 12:13 AM  Permalink | 20 comments
20
Comments   
  • Comment removed.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:48 PM, 11/25/2009
    Actually, very true. I always used to wonder what kind of player AI would be in mid-late 30's, but now we won't have to see a diminished, slow, gray-haired AI. Sometimes the brightest shooting stars only last but a minute. True that he never won it all, but we came really close against a superior team -- and that was AI plus a bunch of (admittedly) strong role players. League MVP, All-Star MVP, scoring leader. All-time favorite AI? Obvious. Stepped right over the TL after draining that deep 3 in the corner in LA. Unreal. That was the single greatest AI game and victory, too -- and on the biggest stage. Top 30-35 all-time, and that's no joke. Sixers -- obviously, re-sign him to a 10-day deal at the end of this season/offseason to have a press conference, and retire that number with pride next season.
    — glory08
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:25 PM, 11/25/2009
    Totally overrated ball hog, gunner, no defense playin', turnover machine. One finals appearance, otherwise never got past second round. A circus act. Threw up a ton of shots to get his points. Only his mother was more obnoxious than him. Most overrated player in NBA history. He'll get in Hall for his empty stats, but he's a loser through and through. Check back in three years when he's broke and doing a bad reality show. Finally, A.I. is short for Almost Illiterate.
    — baabyrrej
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:56 PM, 11/25/2009
    Oh, relax. No love for AI. Fine. Your points are all valid, but a pure scorer is a pure scorer, and basketball is an entertainment business. They didn't get Duncan, so you had what you had for the era. There weren't other options. Stack, Hughes -- no. Embrace pure scoring, embrace heart and soul, grit and determination. That IS Philly, whether you realize it or not. We have some showboat in us, too. It's not like this town didn't love TO when things were rosy. We like big players, we like to be entertained by stars, and that's what AI was -- a true star. Record speaks for itself. His mom was obnoxious and annoying, though. Just sayin'.
    — glory08
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:32 AM, 11/26/2009
    I think he would have been a better player had he not been forced to practice so much. I thank AI for one of the top ten moments in sports history with his treatise on practice.
    — fmMD
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 2:06 AM, 11/26/2009
    Telling me a somewhat washed up AI shouldn't have been starting in front of Mike "Thank You Greg Oden / 2-1 assist to turnover ratio / 8 ppg" Conley? The Grizzlies are pathetic.
    — mjb
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 2:50 AM, 11/26/2009
    Even until the bitter end, Iverson never got off of his practice high horse. Good riddance. By the way, those "pathetic" Grizzlies beat the more pathetic Sixers without Iverson. If he had played, the Sixers would have had a better chance to win.
    — eaglephanatic
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 4:01 AM, 11/26/2009
    AI was one of the greatest Sixers ever. He definitely played every game like it was his last while he was here. I really hope this isn't the end of his career, I think he definitely has a few more years left in him.
    — younggunna917
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 7:03 AM, 11/26/2009
    The 76ers need AI
    — dim-5
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 7:38 AM, 11/26/2009
    mjb, great point on Conley. He, and his dad, should give Oden half of their earnings! I don't get why GMs say they want to develop younger players rather than have AI. Memphis, Knicks (not getting LeBron) and other doormats will be the same in 10 years. The NBA is a league of stars. You can't win without them! Nice players don't get it done.
    — Super5
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 8:26 AM, 11/26/2009
    he was OUR hall of fame player , should of retired as a sixer . not sure why people bad mouth him , all he ever did for me was entertain me . sixty , any night ?? it was SPECIAL !!! even got MR SNYDER to sit in his courtside seats !!! when was the last time anybody saw ED in those seats ???
    — tk
  • Comment removed.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:08 AM, 11/26/2009
    Hater, yes please shut up. It isn't AI's fault he ruined his career, forced his way out of town and never learned to be a team player. If he squeaks into the HOF, it will just be one more instance of why the HOF is a sham. It should be only for the greatest of the great. Sure he is a Sixers HOF'er, but not an League one. The hall is already litered with undeserving members. So let's retire his jersey and hang it way off by itself, it doesn't belong with the "team" jerseys. And in three years we I run into him, I will be polite and say "yes Allen, I'll have fries with that."
    — AsValidAsYours
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:31 AM, 11/26/2009
    Bring back A.I . and start him,at least he can shoot ,thats more I can say for the rest of the team ,they are not going anywere for a long time anyway as long as Stephanski is G.M. !!!
    — zogger
  • Comment removed.


20 comments | View All Comments | View All By Latest
View comments: 1  |  2
About Bob Cooney
Bob Cooney has been at the Daily News for more than 20 years, working in the sports department for the past 15. This is his third season on the Sixers beat. He has covered just about everything, but mostly college basketball, where he was the La Salle beat writer for six seasons. E-mail Bob at cooneyb@phillynews.com and follow him on Twitter.

Join on Facebook   

Advertise Here
Latest Sixers Videos